Declassified Biden administration documents from July 31, 2025 (top). Document number and dates of creation/release (bottom). The US Democratic Party, which had vehemently opposed the Trump administration's potential war with Iran and hurled all sorts of criticism at it, is now revealed to have blocked humanitarian aid to Iran during its own administration three years ago. 

According to recently declassified US internal documents (FL-2024-00030) obtained by <한미일보>, the Biden administration issued official emails to the US Embassy in Qatar in October 2023 with instructions to "hold payments for Iran's oil export proceeds that have been remitted by Korean banks (Woori Bank) to Qatar." 

This money was payment that Iran had received for oil exported to South Korea. It was frozen due to US sanctions during the first Trump administration in 2018 but was temporarily unfrozen in 2023 when the US and Iran agreed to a prisoner exchange. Korean banks immediately sent the money to a Qatari bank. 

However, the Biden Treasury Department re-froze the $6 billion (7 to 8 trillion won) that the Korean side had remitted to Qatar, preventing Iran from using it, and strong Israeli influence was detected in this process. 

The instructions sent via email from the Biden State Department to overseas missions included specific guidance: "Defer to Ben if he thinks otherwise." 

Accordingly, the US government, represented by the Qatari Embassy in the US, reached a secret agreement with the Qatari government to withhold the payment of Iranian funds, and Iran's receipt of the funds was immediately blocked. 

The issue was that the substantial funds Iran was to receive for its oil sales were intended for humanitarian aid to the Iranian people. 

The Iranian government strongly criticized the Biden administration for restricting the use of funds, even though they were meant solely for humanitarian goods such as food, medicine, and medical equipment. 

Even the US acknowledged the humanitarian purpose. The State Department email at the time specified the nature of the funds: "for humanitarian goods - food, medicine, medical equipment." 

The State Department also emphasized, "We have strict oversight of the funds, and we retain the right to freeze them." This implies that while they could control the disbursement of funds, they halted the provision of relief supplies based on Israeli influence. 

Meanwhile, the Biden administration also appeared to shift blame, stating that the freezing of Iran's oil sale proceeds by Korean banks was "pursuant to an arrangement established by the previous administration, the trump administration." 

Ultimately, the provision of essential relief supplies to the Iranian people was repeatedly postponed, escalating into a diplomatic conflict after the Iranian Ambassador to the UN strongly protested. 

This background was finally revealed to the public when the Trump administration released emails exchanged during the Biden administration on July 31 of last year. The release of the internal documents came about a month after the Trump administration bombed Iranian nuclear facilities with B-2 stealth bombers in June of last year. This was during a period when the Democratic Party was unreservedly criticizing Donald Trump as a "warmonger."